What Is Organic Landscaping and Why Is It Important?

The word ‘organic’ seems to pop up everywhere these days, from fruits and vegetables to eggs and meats. But, there’s an equally important emphasis being put on organic land care, and for good reason: The dangerous chemicals in many widely-used fertilizers and weed killers is not only an environmental hazard, but dangerous to humans and animals, too.

The primary goals of organic land care are:

• Maintaining soil health
• Eliminating the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers
• Increasing landscape diversity
• Improving the health and well being of people and animals

The Dangers of Pesticide Use

The demand for organic lawns is driven by concerns about human health and the environment. Organic management is beneficial to human health and the environment in many ways: eliminating the use of synthetic pesticides; building a diverse, robust ecological system that holds nutrients and water; reducing pollution due to leaching and run-off; and recharging groundwater and streams with clean fresh water.
A pesticide, according the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is “any substance intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest.” Pests include a wide range of “living organisms that occur where they are not wanted or cause damage to crops or humans or other animals.” In addition to insects, these include weeds, fungi, bacteria and viruses that cause disease in plants, and animals such as mice and slugs that attack desirable plants or occur where they aren’t wanted.

Small children can be sickened by lawn pesticides.

While pesticides may be needed in certain situations to protect against the spread of human pathogens, evidence of harmful effects of pesticides on human health and the environment has increased steadily since the first alarms were raised by the book Silent Spring in 1962.  As the evidence has accumulated, some pesticides that once were widely used have been restricted or banned.

Delayed Symptoms

There can be a long time between pesticide exposure and the appearance of chronic disease. Cancer in humans, for example, may show up 20–30 years after exposure to a carcinogenic pesticide. Studies have shown that fetuses and young children are particularly sensitive to the effects of pesticides. These effects may show up as cancer, as deformities of the reproductive system or as effects on the development of the nervous system, which affect learning and behavior, but are only detected years after the exposure.

Recent studies have shown that exposure of a parent to pesticides is associated with birth defects, cancer and reproductive effects in the next generation. This includes exposure of fathers, not just pregnant mothers.
Hedahl Landscape: Focused on Organic

So, it’s imperative that we reduce the use of pesticides in our lives, and that includes our lawns and landscaping, where we -- and our children and pets -- spend a great deal of time. Hedahl Landscape is dedicated to creating pesticide-free landscaping through the use of organic sprays and other non-toxic treatments for your property.

Give us a call at 360-340-1141 or visit our website: www.hedahlandscape.com  for more information, or a free quote.

Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Pesticide Information Center, Cornell Extension Toxicology Network